This article describes adulthood in general and that of individuals with severe cognitive impairments. It examines traditional roles, rites, and rituals of adulthood, including: voting, marriage, consensual sex, and moving out. How one parent intends to assist her daughter in accessing these markers of adulthood is discussed. (Contains…

This article presents early descriptive findings on youths and their experiences in the first 12 to 18 months after leaving foster care as part of the state of Wisconsin's Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study. Findings suggest that the transition to independence is a difficult time for youth leaving the out-of-home care system. (Author/SD)

If schools are unsafe, they are made so, in part, by those people, young and old, who appear to value neither living things nor material objects. Moreover, they are made so by young people, research reveals, who, although bullying their classmates and teachers, nonetheless often fail to meet the commonly held stereotype of the bully. It is…

In December 1998, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) revised the educational standards for Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) programs to include non-traditional or community-based practice. This freedom to explore new fieldwork opportunities prompted OTA programs to examine the needs of their surrounding…

Purpose: We investigated whether health status (i.e., need characteristics) and financial resources (i.e., enabling characteristics) were important predictors of two types of functional adaptations among elderly adults: home modifications such as putting nonslip tape on rugs or installing more telephones and use of equipment for mobility or…

Objective: Despite past findings about the contribution of home care services to older users' functional ability, the effective processes and components of the services are not transparent. Such processes appear to rely on the actual use of component services of the home care program. Method: The study gathered 116 observations during 2 years…

The current study, with its foundation in expectancy theory, investigated the relationships between teacher expectations of future outcomes for students within the autism spectrum. Fifteen teachers, in private and public school settings, completed a survey that assessed their expectations about the importance and the likelihood of specific…

This study examines how early entries into adult roles are associated with aggressive and violent behavior occurring from early adolescence to young adulthood among 499 males and 578 females living in low-income, central-city neighborhoods. Among males, engagement in adult roles accounted for the relationship between higher levels of aggressive…

Purpose: The objective of this research is to investigate whether home accommodations influence the amount of human help provided to a nationally representative sample of adults who use wheelchairs. Design and Methods: We analyzed data from the Adult Disability Follow-back Survey (DFS), Phase II, of the Disability Supplement to the 1994-1995…

This paper discusses the concept of individualized, supported living arrangements for individuals with severe disabilities. The supported living arrangements are intended to enable people with disabilities to live in the community in a manner of their choice that most closely approximates the experience of people without disabilities, with support…

This study was designed to identify major issues of access to health insurance and health-related services for persons with disabilities and to develop recommendations that reflect a disability perspective on how these issues can be addressed. Findings and recommendations of the study are based on a review of the literature and testimony from over…

This report presents results of analysis of data from 5,215 noninstitutionalized persons with disabilities as reported in the 1979 and 1980 National Health Interview Survey, Home Care Supplement. Results are reported for the following assistance categories: assistance in basic physical activities; frequency of help in basic physical activities;…

This guide, which gives an overview of federally funded vocational rehabilitation programs available in New Mexico, was developed for clients and potential clients of vocational rehabilitation services. Written in a simple and clear manner, the manual outlines the goals of rehabilitation: independence, self-management, self-advocacy, and…

The newsletter presents short vignettes describing persons of different ages and disabilities, with emphasis on the technologies each person uses to cope with daily challenges. Vignettes describe a Down Syndrome 6-year-old whose learning is helped by computer access; a cerebral palsied adult whose head-controlled power wheelchair, dowel stick,…

The transition from foster care to adult independence brings many unexpected challenges. This document reports on the experiences of young adults as they leave the foster care system. It identifies community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide support and services to these adults, and relates opinions of both in order to identify what is…